Alodia was a medieval Nubian kingdom in what is now Central and Southern
Sudan. Its capital was Soba, near modern-day Khartoum at the confluence
of the Blue and White Nile rivers. In 580 it became a part of the
Christian world, following the other two Nubian kingdoms, Nobadia and
Makuria. Alodia reached its peak during the 9th–12th centuries, when
it exceeded its northern neighbor and close ally, Makuria, in size,
military power and economic prosperity. A large, multicultural state,
Alodia was ruled by a powerful king and provincial governors appointed
by him. Soba was a prosperous town and trading hub, and literacy in
Nubian and Greek flourished. Goods arrived from Makuria, the Middle
East, western Africa, India and even China. Alodia began a slow decline
in the 12th century, possibly because of invasions from the south,
droughts and a shift of trade routes, before finally collapsing around
1500.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alodia>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1644:
The Ming dynasty of China fell when the Chongzhen Emperor
committed suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_dynasty>
1792:
The French highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the
first person to be executed by guillotine.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Jacques_Pelletier>
1920:
At the San Remo conference, the principal Allied Powers of
World War I decided upon the League of Nations mandates for
administration of the former Ottoman-ruled lands of the Middle East.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Remo_conference>
1960:
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586) completed the
first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Sandblast>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
chur:
1. (New Zealand, informal) A strong voicing of agreement, approval, or
thanks: awesome!, cheers!, ta!, thanks!.
2. (New Zealand, informal) A parting salutation: bye, see you later.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chur>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The layman always means, when he says "reality" that he is
speaking of something self-evidently known; whereas to me it seems the
most important and exceedingly difficult task of our time is to work on
the construction of a new idea of reality.
--Wolfgang Pauli
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Pauli>
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